The 2010/63/EU Directive (transposed to Portuguese legislation by Decreto-lei 113/2013) imposes that each establishment breeding, supplying or using animals for scientific or educational purposes must have an Animal Welfare Body - Órgão Responsável pelo Bem-Estar Animal (ORBEA), in Portugal - in place.

There is no previous experience of having such institutional bodies in Portugal, reason why in both academia and industry establishments face some uncertainties and challenges regarding their implementation, framing their activity within their institutions and complying with regulatory demands. Among others, these questions include determining: who should constitute these ORBEA; what should their competences and attributions be; how to integrate their activity within each establishment; and how will these bodies interact with researchers, other departments, the Competent Authority and the newly-created Comissão Nacional para a Protecção dos Animais Utilizados para Fins Científicos (National Committee for the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Purposes).

 

The main goal of the workshops is to contribute for the establishing of ORBEA to high standards of competence, functionality and integration with their home institution, which will positively affect both the quality of animal studies and animal welfare. They will also be a starting point for a network of national ORBEAs for sharing information, experiences and questions, as well as for improving the harmonization of principles and practice across institutions.

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